Meet Joseph Renda Jr | Artist/Muralist/Owner of ArtBuilds LLC

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joseph Renda Jr and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Joseph, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I started ArtBuilds in my Senior year of art school. I had just started to build out my own panels, canvases, and frames the year prior and very soon realized there was a need for custom high quality painting surfaces within the Chicago art community. Big art stores just didn’t have the quality or customization, and frame shops were too expensive. As a young artist myself I fully understood these issues and the cost that goes into creating your work. When I graduated, I strived to build the business to be run by artists for artists. As the years went by it expanded to every aspect of the creative process and ArtBuilds became a one stop shop for many artists. ArtBuilds currently offers fully custom canvases, panels, framing, shipping crates, pedestals, moveable walls, float frames, art installations and much more. In the past 6 years we have worked with hundreds of artists, galleries, collectors, and brands. We even host a drink and draw every month and have curated two 100 artist group shows where we built out 100 aluminum panels for each artist in the show. I am proud of far ArtBuilds has come and am excited to continue to grow!
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My work universally speaks to the philosophical side of humanity. I use familiar imagery, along with flora and fauna in a surreal manner to express emotion, provoke thought, and build a connection. When I went to art school, I decided that I was going to make a career out of art no matter what it took. I originally planned to major in illustration but quickly discovered the fine art/gallery world. Absolutely amazed by this discovery I started going to multiple gallery openings every weekend, artist talks, museums, and any event that I could digest what the art world was. I stumbled upon Vertical Galley and was blown away by the work they were showing. It wasn’t the highly conceptual, blue-chip galleries I was visiting on a regular basis. What stood out to me the most was the highly crafted work, community representation, and younger crowd both showing in the gallery and collecting. I knew then that this is where I wanted to direct my work! I made it my 5-year plan to show with Vertical and achieved this goal sooner than expected. What made me stand out wasn’t so much that my work was the best or the most sellable, but the fact that I was driven, self-motivated, and showed promise. At the time I was curating my own art shows with friends, showing up to every art event in Chicago, and just having conversations with like-minded individuals. Being successful as an artist isn’t just about making the work. We are our own little businesses that require marketing, networking, presence, and representation. Its not the easiest thing to do on your own but its worth every second!
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Chicago is such a diverse and interesting city. I have lived here my whole life and am still amazed by some of the fun and wonderful things you can do. The museums are top notch. I have been to the art institute more times than I could count. I practically lived there at a point and has the best collection of work I have seen. Of course, anyone visiting needs to check out Cloud Gate (the bean), millennium park, magnificent mile, and the Sky Deck. Some of my favorite places to eat is Conte Di Savoia in Little Italy (best sandwiches), Pequod’s (best pizza), and Gene and Jude’s (best hotdogs). If you like breweries there are plenty. My favorite in the city is Midwest Coast because they are dog friendly, and just outside of the city Une Annee and Hubbard’s cave which I painted two murals at. It really is a wonderful place to be!
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
From professors, fellow artists, and galleries, I have had many mentors in my career. One big influence in both my art career and business is Vertical Galleries Owner, Patrick Hull. I started showing at the gallery in 2016 at 19 years old. I had been coming to the gallery a couple of years prior and was blown away by the work Vertical was showing. It was very different than the contemporary work I was surrounded by at school and I knew it was the place I wanted to show my work at. Patrick gave me my first opportunity in the summer of 2016 to work with international muralist Collin Van Der Sluijs. I had never painted a mural before and was nervous to assist on this huge 50’x50x wall. Little did I know that it would be such an incredible and eye-opening experience and lead to many collaborations with both Vertical and Collin. From there I was included in Vertical’s group shows, I had a three artist show the summer of my graduation and have had 2 solo shows with the gallery. Vertical Has built my art career from the ground up and I couldn’t be more appreciative of Patrick noticing my work and taking the initiative to do so.
Patrick was also a huge influence in the start of ArtBuilds. When I started showing with Vertical Patrick noticed I was building my own panels and frames. He asked if I could build shipping crates, moveable walls, pedestals, stretcher bars, and much more. I had never done any of these and said “of course I can”. The fake it until you make it mentality. I was building out so much for the galley the year prior to officially getting my LLC and it gave me the courage and confirmation that this was the right direction to go.
Website: https://www.jrenda-art.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/j.renda_artist/?hl=en